


I Call It Magic, Such a Precious Truth

by TimelessWriting



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Injury Recovery, Love Confessions, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pre-Relationship, Requited Unrequited Love, everyone has the same kinds of backgrounds as canon just adjusted for modern era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-09-30 02:30:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17215358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimelessWriting/pseuds/TimelessWriting
Summary: When Ricken had ended up broken and bruised after falling off the ladder in his family's library, he really only expected to find himself learning of one mistake—don't do that again. Somehow or another, he ends up learning that being in love isn't as clear cut as he thought too, thanks to a little magic.





	I Call It Magic, Such a Precious Truth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rueis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rueis/gifts).



> Late xmas gift for a friend that's been there for me for as long as I know them. Here's a little henricken for you!! Thanks for always sticking around, and I'm so glad we became friends <3 I hope you like it!!
> 
> A little context: This is a modern au. Chrom, Lissa, and Emmeryn are all rich ppl, and live in a country where they're royalty but p much just figureheads. Frederick is still butler/servant to them. Maribelle is Lissa's rich/noble friend?? gf?? Up to you. Ricken is p much the same here, from a noble family that's kinda disgraced, but still has all their stuff bc y'know. Generations of being rich. Henry is... Ricken's friend who practices witchcraft idk how they met. THATS ABOUT IT.

“What were you thinking, carrying that many books that high up! You had us all worried sick! You could have gotten seriously injured—you’re lucky you got away with just this!” Lissa huffed, moving to whack Ricken over the head until Frederick managed to catch her wrist mid-swing.

“Please, milady. We should not agitate the injured too much. Hitting him may be a bit too much for the hospital staff, I’m afraid,” He explained simply. He gradually lowered Lissa’s arm back down and moved to smoothen out the dress sleeve he had crinkled in the process. Maribelle would not be pleased if she found out he had ruined her darling’s expensive new dress. “Visiting hours are ending soon, and your siblings will want you home soon for tonight’s dinner with Duke Virion. We should begin to take our leave.”

Lissa frowned, giving Frederick an indignant pout before she actually listened to what he had said to her.

“I still can’t believe you managed to break multiple bones from trying to get a book that was too high up… How do you even manage to land at that angle?” Her sigh was full of exasperated fondness. “I’ll make sure to come visit you until your leg sets enough that they can release you! Next time I’ll bring you that scone Kellam makes that you like!”

Ricken smiled and gave her an appreciative nod.

“Thanks, Lissa. You’re the best. Tell Chrom and Emmeryn not to worry too much, alright?”

Lissa rolled her eyes, as if Ricken had just suggested that she go find a unicorn and ride it over the rainbow. Really, what did he think he was asking for?

“They’re going to worry no matter what, Silly. The only reason Chrom and Emmeryn didn’t come by was because they had to handle some boring rich people relations stuff. They—” She was cut off by Frederick clearing his throat, and the grin that had taken over her face was promptly replaced with mild annoyance.

“Milady. Tonight’s dinner.”

Lissa groaned, and mumbled an exaggerated, “ _Fine…_ ” before wishing a final goodbye to Ricken and Henry with a brief warning to Henry: “Don’t drag Ricken into your weird sacrificial rituals again! Those better not be more runes on his cast!”

Henry looked up guiltily from where he had been doodling on Ricken’s cast, and whined a petulant, “It’s not like they’re going to _harm_ you when I’m done!” once Lissa and Frederick had left the room.

Ricken gave his arm a concerned look as Henry continued to doodle without a care to his surroundings, and after a few minutes finally managed to get together the guts to venture the question, “... What exactly _are_ you writing?”

Henry’s eyes seemed to positively light up at the notion of being asked about his arts, and gleefully exclaimed, “They’re protective runes! I’ve been working on elaborating on the traditional scripts to make more spells, and I think I’ve finally got this one down! I figured ‘cause you’re always gettin’ distracted with your books, I’d try it on you first to see if it works or flunks!” He grin shifted downwards into a minor frown, and he continued less enthusiastically, “I took too long though, since you’ve got broken bones and all that.”

Ricken gave Henry a confused look, not understanding Henry’s distress in the slightest.

“But don’t you… _like_ injuries and ailments…?” He questioned, head tilted slightly off to the side in an action that was endearing to anyone who would see it. His eyebrows scrunched together to crease his his forehead, and Henry let out a sudden laugh at the sight.

“Be careful, or else you’ll end up looking like you took an aging potion! Even I can’t undo that for ya!” If Ricken hadn’t known better, he would have thought that Henry had never even stopped grinning based on his current expression’s mirth alone. “I _do_ like all that! It’s fantastic! ‘Fact, I wish I was the one with broken bones right now. I can just imagine the pain…”

Henry shuddered with a pleased look on his face, and Ricken was approximately 99% sure he actually _was_ fantasizing about the pain Ricken had been in without the painkillers. He would have thought it disturbing, if he hadn’t known Henry for so long. Well, actually it was still kind of disturbing, but at least now it was something he had adjusted to.

“I don’t wanna see _you_ hurt though; that’s no fun. You don’t like pain, and I like you, so I don’t want to see you hurting either! That means less time I can spend with you, and spending time with you is fun!” Henry concluded.

“I-I see… I guess I haven’t actually seen you when other people were hurt, so I suppose I just assumed that you liked it when _anyone_ was in pain… I’m sorry for making such careless assumptions.” 

Ricken felt guilt overwhelming his mind, as if he had just betrayed his best friend. Henry didn’t seem to mind in the slightest though, giggling along as if this was completely normal for them. In a way, Ricken supposed, it was.

“Naw, it’s no big deal! It’s a fair conclusion, since I _do_ enjoying people squirm and writhe around like worms like on _Pain for Gain_! It’s super fun to watch, you should sit with me next time I put it on! Ohhhhh, maybe we could do a marathon at your place next time! That sounds like so much fun!”

Okay, Ricken had thought he had finally understood what Henry was getting at, but now he was just _more confused._

“W-Wait… Why am I different then?”

Henry gave him a blank look as if this should have been something Ricken automatically have known.

“Because you’re my friend? Other people aren’t my friends, I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with them. I don’t care if they’re in pain.”

Ricken flushed red all the way up to his ears, and spluttered out, “H-Henry! You can’t just say that! That’s what you tell someone you’re in love with?”

“But I am in love with you?”

“Romantically, I mean! That’s like a confession!”

Henry still gave him a confused look, not understanding the fuss at all.

“Yeah… I know? I do like you romantically?”

Ricken looked more distressed than he had ever been before, as if he wanted to cry. It truly was a sad sight to behold, and if not for having an arm newly broken and in a cast, he’d have buried his face in his hands. As it was, he was carding his healthy hand through his hair in agitation.

“But… you just called me your friend! And you never said anything before! The way you said it just out of the blue doesn’t make any sense, because everything is conflicting!” His voice cracked halfway through, and Henry’s eyes widened at the sound.

“Why can’t I call you my friend? Just because I like you doesn’t mean we aren’t friends? I didn’t think you were interested, so I never brought it up,” Henry explained, and now it was his turn to have furrowed eyebrows. His usual grin had fallen to give rise to a deep frown, a sight Ricken wasn’t sure he had ever _truly_ seen on Henry. He was someone who often covered his other emotions with a facade of fake pleasantries after all.

Ricken’s eyes were glassy, shining in the hospital lights as he gazed upon Henry with eyes the size of the moon. His lips had the slightest gap in between them, letting in a sharp inhale that was audible only to him. He had known Henry was bad at reading the mood or understanding social cues, so he had wanted to make him understand but… this was a whole other kind of being terrible at reading the room.

“Oh, Henry…” Ricken sniffled, and Henry yelped as he reached over with his free hand and yanked him close to press their lips together. “You’re so clever, but so, so stupid… I’ve been in love with you the whole time, you know. I thought _you_ were the one who didn’t like me that way! I was too scared you’d reject me to say anything!”

Henry blinked, and then proceeded to let out a guffaw of his own style with his hand lightly covering his mouth in a poor, subconscious attempt to muffle it.

“It seems we’ve both been _cursed_ to be in love with each other, yet not realize it! If we both made the same mistake, maybe we really are a match made in heaven! Oh, but I think we’re perfect together whether heaven exists or not!”

Ricken smiled softly, and trailed his free hand up to intertwine itself with the one over Henry’s face. His voice was soft, but full of warmth as he replied in kind.

“You know what Henry? I think you’re right. For once… I think this is something we both understand.”

**Author's Note:**

> idk shit about modern day magic this is all pulled out of my ass and i'm pretty sure this isn't how any of this works


End file.
